Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Thursday Thirteen 284: National Library Week



April 14-20, 2013 is National Library Week. To celebrate, here are thirteen quotes about libraries.


01. “My alma mater was books, a good library. . . . I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.”
― Malcolm X


02. “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice


03. “In a good bookroom you feel in some mysterious way that you are absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books through your skin, without even opening them.”
― Mark Twain


04. “A good library will never be too neat, or too dusty, because somebody will always be in it, taking books off the shelves and staying up late reading them.”
― Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid


05. “My library is an archive of longings.”
― Susan Sontag, As Consciousness is Harnessed to Flesh: Journals and Notebooks, 1964-1980


06. “Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”
― Walter Cronkite


07. “All the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal. ... But with each passing year, and with each whimsical purchase, our libraries become more and more able to articulate who we are, whether we read the books or not.”
― Nick Hornby, The Polysyllabic Spree


08. “People can lose their lives in libraries. They ought to be warned.”
― Saul Bellow


09. “My grandma always said that God made libraries so that people didn't have any excuse to be stupid.”
― Joan Bauer, Rules of the Road


10. “Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.”
― Anne Herbert


11. “Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book . . .”
― Dwight D. Eisenhower


12. “The library is inhabited by spirits that come out of the pages at night.”
― Isabel Allende


13. “Cram your head with characters and stories. Abuse your library privileges. Never stop looking at the world, and never stop reading to find out what sense other people have made of it. If people give you a hard time and tell you to get your nose out of a book, tell them you're working. Tell them it's research. Tell them to pipe down and leave you alone.”
― Jennifer Weiner



Linking to: Thursday Thirteen




24 comments:

Alice Audrey said...

From Twain to Lemmony Snicket. Nice juxtaposition.

Heather said...

Alice: Why, thank you. I thought it a nice eclectic mix. *VBG*

anthonynorth said...

Enjoyed them. I share that love of books.

Shelley Munro said...

These are great. I love my local library.

Sandy Kessler said...

Some monthas I'd like to shut out the world forever and live in books then someone comnes knocking

Ron. said...

They almost didn't let me graduate High School because I'd skipped so many days, but I'd spent them in the library and browsing in bookstores. I took (& aced) the Final Exams, so they had to let me go.

CountryDew said...

I love the Walter C. quote! Myself and a few other library patrons took on the board of supervisors last week asking for more money for books; they had slashed the budget by nearly 70 percent.

Carleen said...

The public library saved my mother's sanity during the summer breaks from school when I was a kid. It was as special and magical as Disneyland for me and my sisters because my mom saved its treasures to combat those "I'm so bored" long summer days.

Kimberly Menozzi said...

Heh. I've tried doing number 13 myself - it rarely works. ;)

Paige Tyler said...

Cool TT!

*hugs*
Paige

My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com

Heather said...

Thanks, Anthony!

Shelley: I confess, though I love and support our local libraries, I have not used mine in ages. I have enough books of my own to read!

Heather said...

Sandy: Yes, someone -- or reality -- always comes knocking when you'd rather shut out the world and close yourself in with books.

Ron: Heh...good for you for acing the exam! *g*

Heather said...

Anita: I really liked that quote myself. I hope you are successful in getting more money for your libraries. We have a new Central Library opening here in September that will not only have more space for books and public meeting rooms, but improved computer access and more books.

Carleen: My sisters and I spent many summer hours at the public library. Luckily, we lived within walking or biking distance of one through high school. We also had to pass the Central Library coming home from school, so would often get a transfer, and pop in for an hour coming through town.

Heather said...

Kimberly: The bane of a writer... No one ever believes that reading is actually research, nor will they shut up and go away so you can finish.

Thanks, Paige! *G*

Unknown said...

I remember living across the street from a library when my girls were small. I'd find an author I liked and devour every book written by them. Sadly, many of our children do not have the experience of sitting in a library for hours and losing themselves in differnt worlds and times.
Happy T13!

thebluemuse, phd said...

Love this!

Heather said...

Adelle: I wish more parents took their kids to libraries and made use of the services and free books provided. I remember what a thrill it was to get my first library card. How many of today's kids have had that experience? It's sad, really...

Heather said...

Hi BlueMuse! Thank you, and thanks for visiting.

Jana said...

12. “The library is inhabited by spirits that come out of the pages at night.”
― Isabel Allende


So that's who keeps moving the junk around on my desk and hiding things. *bg*

Heather said...

Jana: Hehe...and here you thought it was your coworkers. ;-D

kayerj said...

you found some great quotes! thanks for sharing.

The Gal Herself said...

My favorite is Lemony Snicket because he encourages young people to read. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, "There are many ways to enlarge a child's world. Love of books is the best of all."

Jennifer Leeland said...

“Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.”
― Anne Herbert

I agree and love this!!!!!

Heather said...

Thanks, Kelley! *G*

Gal: Anyone who encourages kids to read is a hero in my book. Thanks for sharing your favorite quote!

Jennifer: Isn't that a great quote? Sooo much truth in that!